Latch



March 19, 1940.

Patented Mar. 19, 1940 UNITED STATE S FATE NT OFF ICE LATCH George- D. Sluss, El Dorado', Kans. Application June 29, 1938, Serial No. 216,593

s Claims. (or/292 136 V Figured is a detailed fragmentary view in front .This invention .relatesto latches; .and more particularlyto stock gatelatches.

In many instances, it is necessaryv .to keep stock definitely and surely confined, particularly .in stock yards or on breeding farms, while at the sametime avoiding the necessity of a. human beings using a key for operating alock (as distinguished from a simple latch).

It is well known among stock men that many animals acquire the knack of operating conventional gatelatches, enabling them to escape from or gain access to enclosures, often resulting'in serious consequences- Many bulls soon learn to operate ordinary latches by rubbing the gate or latch'arm, or by hooking the arm with the horn, The horse, one of the most intelligent of animals,

registered breeding animals so as to guard against incorrect mating. v

An object of my invention is to provide a gate latch adapted to be manually operable with ease by human beings but being so constructed that it cannot be operated by stock.

Another object is to provide a latch of the character referred to which is manually operable I by human beings without the aid of akey or other appliance. v

A' further object is to provide a latch of the kind referred to which is constructed or arranged to receive a lock or seal. i

A still further object of the invention isto provide a latch of the character referred towhich comprises few and rugged parts, which is'easy economical to manufacture.

Other objectswill become apparent from a reading of the following description, the-appended claims, and. the accompanying drawing, in

" :which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section of one form of latch construct'edin accordance elevation. I

Figures 1 and 2 of. the drawing showone preferred embodiment of the invention particularly adapted for use in connection with swinging gates or other closures, generally .designatedat A-and associated with a relativelyfixed' enclosure frame part B. The latch mechanism includes a keeper plate generally designated C and means such as a housing D-mounting a-latch or arm E for movement into and out of theslot l in the keeper C.

:In accordance with the invention, thea-rrnE and the means iormounting it are so constructed and-so cooperatively positioned and arranged that the arm will not be accessiblefor operationb-y an animal, but will be readily operable by a human beingfamiliar with the construction of the latch. To this end the latch housing includes aplate formed with an aperture through which the oper .ating or latch arm E may be reached by a human being-but which is constructed and so disposed withreference to the latch arm E that .the'arm cannot be reached or manipulated by. an animal. In the form shown, the housing comprisestwo .s-pacedsemicircular side plates 2 and an inter- -.vening.web 3. .Studs or sleeves 4 extending between the plates 2 serve to-stifien the housing structure and are adapted to receive mounting bolts 5-for securing the housing. to the movable closure member A. Each plate 2 is formed with an aperture or access opening 6.

#The arm or dog E is bifurcated as at l to provide for pivotal mounting of the arm at spaced points ona pin tdisposedbelow the apertures or access openings 6 and adjacent the bottom of .thehousing plates 2, the opposite end of the arm extending through. a slot 9 in the web 3, and

projecting beyond the housing. The latcharm E is..movable to the operative or latching position in engagement with the keeper plate C as shown infull lines in Figure, l, and may be moved about the pivot 8 to the unlatching .or unlatched position shown in dotted lines in Figurel.

. An important feature of my invention resides in the. provision ofmeans'for operating the latch.

arm or dog E, .such means being easily reached "and operated by a human being, but being inaccessible to or inoperable ,byan animaL. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, the op- :eratingmeans comprises a finger engageable part I 0: on the latch armor dog E, the finger-engageable piece being so positioned on the. arm with reference to the, openings 6 that a human operator, by extending a finger in through oneof the openings 6 and by crooking or bending the-finger,

can grasp the finger piece It to swing the latch from the latched position to the dotted line or unlatched position shown in Figure 1, whereas, because of the position of the part I0, an animal, even though capable of operating ordinary or conventional gate latches, would be unable to reach the finger piece ID to operate the latch. Preferably the arrangement is such that when the latch arm E is in its operative or latching position, the finger piece It is disposed outwardly beyond the margin of the access opening, thereby necessitating the crooking of the operators finger in order to grasp the finger piece. also the finger piece projects transversely from the arm, the free end of the finger piece being directed longitudinally of the arm and away from the access opening. Thus, even though an animal might be able to reach and touchthe finger" piece Hi When the arm E is in its operative or full I line position shown in Figure 1, it would not be possible for the animal to touch the side of the finger piece which faces toward the keeper-engaging end of the arm E, and consequently the animal could not lift or swing the arm out of engagement with the keeper.

The pivotal mounting for the arm E is so disposed with respect to the access openings 6 that the latch dog or arm must be swung from its latching position through an arc of considerable extent before the finger piece It] passes in front of or in registration with the access openings 6, this being due to the eccentric mounting of the arm E relative to the access openings.

Preferably, the latch arm is formed with an opening or openings H adapted to register with openings 12 in the housing plates 2 when the arm is in latching position so as to receive a padlock or seal such as commonly is used by the Government in stock yards.

To render the operating arm E still less accessible to animals, I may provide cover plates 13 pivotally mounted on the housing as at M' and adapted normally to cover or close the access openings 6. l I I The modification shown in Figure 3 is especially adapted for use in connection with sliding gates or closures, indicated generally at F.' In this form the latch arm E is formed with a nose l5 adapted to engage with a part It of a'keeper plate C. In other respects, the parts of the latch mechanism are similar to corresponding parts of the latch construction shown in Figures 1 and 2.

It is apparent thatI have'provided a latch mechanism which, although easily accessible to and operable by human beings, can not be operated by animals. The compactness,-ruggedness, simplicity, and dependability of my improved latch render it valuable for use in connection on small doors for hog houses and sheep barns;

for field gates locatedat dangerous points, such :as near railroad crossings; for material yards on factory sites; in oil fields, and mining and construction camps; and near power houses and transformer banks and booster stations.

The latch as shown for the purposes of illustration embodies the invention in the preferred'and practical forms, but it will be understood that 'various modifications-may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the claims. l

I claim:

Preferably movable to latching and unlatching positions,j'5 I said latch arm being urged in a direction awayfrom said opening to latching position so that an object inserted into said opening will lie in the path of opening movement of the latch, said arm having a finger-engageable part laterallylo disaligned with said opening, whenthe arm is in its latching position, as to necessitate pulling toward the opening by the operators finger bei ing extended through said opening and only when crooked laterally.

2..In av latch for a frame memberand a'ssociated swinging closure member; a mounting means for attachment tonne of said members and comprisinga plate formed with'an access opening;

a latcharm pivotally carried on said plate and being movable to latching andunlatching posi-v tions, said latch arm being urged in a direction l I away from said. opening to latching position so that an object inserted into said opening will lie in the path of opening movement of the a latch arm pivotally carried on said plate and being movable to-latching and unlatching positions, said latch arm being urged in'a direction away'from said opening to latching position so thatan object inserted into said opening will lie in the path of opening movement of the latch; {40 a nose on said "latch arm for engagement with the other member; and a finger-engageable part on said arm engageable at a location disaligned. with said opening when said nose is in latching position to necessitate pulling toward the open ing'in unlatching said latch arm. 'y 1 4. In a latch, a housing comprising spaced substantially parallel plates, one of which is provided with an access opening; a latch arm mounted between said plates for movement in a plane substantially parallel to said plates to latching said opening will lie in the path of opening movement of the latch; and a finger-engageabl f part on said arm, said part being so positioned.

on saidarm as to bedisaligned with said opening in proximity to an operators finger extended into the opening and crooked or bent laterally of the axis of the opening when the arm is in latching position to necessitate 3 pulling toward the openinginunlatching said arm. v

5. In .a latch, mounting means comprising a plate formed with an access opening; a. latch arm carried by-said mounting means and being movable to latching and to .unlatching positions;

and a finger-engageable piece connected torsaid arm and 'engageable at a portion laterally disaligned with said opening when the arm is in its latching position, said fingerrengageable piece projecting transversely from said arm and said portion being deflected longitudinally of the arm away fromthe access opening.

6. In a latch, mounting "means comprising a plate formed with an access opening; a latch armncarried by said mounting means and being movable to latching and to unlatching positions, said latch arm being urged in a vdirection"away from said opening to latching "position sothat" an, object insertedi'nto said, openingwill lie in the path of opening movement of the latch; and

an object-engageable means provided on said parm disposed for pulling toward said opening by an object while the object is located in said opening to move the latch to unlatching position.

7. In a latch, a housing having. a. side wall,

said side wall having an opening there-through,

a Wall extending laterally fromthc'side walL-the second mentioned wall curving upwardly andinv wardlywith-respect to the opening, alatch arm in the housing completely lat lly disaligned with said opening and accessible said opening, means pivotingthe arm transversely of the side wall below said opening at substantially the center of curvature of the second mentioned". 7

wall; and anupwardly extending opening in the second-mentioned wall, said latch arm extending outwardly through the latter opening.

8." In a latch', a housinghaving a side wallg said side wall having an opening therethrough, a wall extending laterally from the side wall and upwardly and inwardly with respect to the opening,

ala'tch arm in the housing accessible through said opening, means pivoting the arm transverselyof the side wall below said opening, the second mentioned Wall having an opening extending npich the latch '11. a. ing finger-e ging surface thereon laterally disali'gr ed with re oect to the opening in the side Wall to necessitate lfting toward said opening-to unlatch the arm whereby operation of the arm merely through insertion of an object into the w opening is thwarted. v

g GEORGE n. sLUss. 

